The peak wavelength of the radiation emitted by a laser diode of a device of this type is influenced, as is known, by the operating temperature of the semiconductor component, which depends on the ambient temperature of the semiconductor component. Changes in the ambient temperature can thus lead to fluctuations in the peak wavelength of the semiconductor component. Such fluctuations of the peak wavelength are often undesirable, however. The peak wavelength of a laser diode component is therefore quite often stabilized by means of additional measures. In the case of edge emitting laser diodes, by way of example, a spectral filter, for instance a Bragg grating, as in the case of DFB Distributed Feedback) or DBR Distributed Bragg Reflector) lasers, for wavelength stabilization may be integrated into the component. However, lasers of this type are usually only suitable for comparatively low optical output powers. In the case of semiconductor components with an external resonator, for instance with a vertical emission direction (e.g. VECSEL: Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Laser), it is possible, for wavelength stabilization, to arrange a diffraction grating or a Bragg fiber as filter element in the resonator. This enables resonator-internal losses to be increased in a targeted manner such that the peak wavelength of the component is comparatively stable. Furthermore, a laser diode may be correspondingly cooled for wavelength stabilization, e.g. by means of a Peltier element or cooling water.
However, the above measures for wavelength stabilization are comparatively complicated and/or cost intensive. A spectral filter, for instance, has to be integrated into a laser diode structure during production, and a diffraction grating or a Bragg fiber has to be arranged and aligned in the resonator. Furthermore, Peltier elements are comparatively cost-intensive, and cooling water circuits, which usually have a high space requirement, not only have high costs but are also comparatively complicated to realize.